Cessna 140 accident near Wasilla, Alaska, December 10, 1984
On December 10, 1984 at about 6:25 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N77227, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 10, 1984 · about 6:25 pm local time
- Place
- Wasilla, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N77227 · registry record · serial 11689
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON GO-AROUND DURING A SIMULATED FORCED LANDING OVER A DIRT LANDING STRIP ENGINE BEGAN TO SPUTTER AND RUN ROUGH. PLT STATED POWER WAS REDUCED AND ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN SMOOTH. FUEL TANK WAS SWITCHED AND 15 TO 20 SECONDS LATER, ENGINE QUIT. FORCED LANDING WAS MADE INTO TREE TOPS. ACFT SETTLED ALMOST VERTICALLY THROUGH TREES COMING TO REST ON ITS NOSE. PLT STATED CARBURETOR HEAT WAS USED DURING THE SIMULATED EMERGENCY DESCENT. NO MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION COULD BE DETERMINED.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 750 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 560 as pilot in command; 400 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,018 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 8, 1984; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z16 Wasilla AK at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 12°F (-11°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from ANC, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N77227 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.